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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23659579">Secrets Not So Secret</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/rancheel/pseuds/rancheel'>rancheel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Prodigal Son (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Awkward Sexual Situations, Background Relationships, Best Friends, Bisexual Female Character, Childhood Friends, Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Walking In On Someone, kinda not canon compliant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:27:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,685</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23659579</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/rancheel/pseuds/rancheel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Vivian comes home from a date and finds a lot more than she bargained for. So, she heads to Malcolm's place to tell him what she found.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gil Arroyo &amp; Original Character(s), Gil Arroyo &amp; Original Child Character(s), Gil Arroyo/Jessica Whitly, Malcolm Bright &amp; Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Secrets Not So Secret</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was in this instance Malcolm regrets giving Vivian a key to his place.</p><p>Even though he was wide awake—in all honesty, he wasn’t—he still had a twinge of regret.</p><p>“You’re not gonna <em> believe—</em>”</p><p>“Vivian, you could <em> knock!</em>”</p><p>Vivian just let out a loud, nervous laugh as Malcolm heard keys clatter on his kitchen counters. Malcolm took his time sitting up and rubbing his eyes before getting up from his couch to go and greet Vivian properly as she paced along his floors.</p><p>She was wearing a nice dress that was covered up by her trench coat, her long hair pulled into a high ponytail with a few pieces framing her face in the front with some light makeup.</p><p>If Malcolm knew any better, he’d think Vivian just came from a date.</p><p>He stood just in front of her pacing line and shoved his hands into his sweat pockets.</p><p>“Who’s the lucky guy?” Vivian didn’t hesitate to stop and give Malcolm a hard glare with her arms crossed over her chest as he started to smile smugly. “Or gal.”</p><p>“Be lucky I don’t feel like hitting something right now,” Vivian simply replied before sighing and going back to pacing.</p><p>“I am thankful for that,” Malcolm started, moving to sit at the kitchen island, “but I also would like to know what caused you to burst into my apartment this late at night.”</p><p>“It’s only 11?”</p><p>“Wait, seriously—”</p><p>“<em>Yes,</em>” Vivian replied, laughing once more before stopping her pacing once she was closer to Sunshine’s cage, saying hello.</p><p>Malcolm craned his neck to check the clock that he had in the kitchen to see Vivian was right.</p><p>11:20 pm.</p><p>“I take it something happened?” Malcolm questioned once he positioned himself to look in her direction. Vivian choked out a laugh.</p><p>“Oh yeah. Something happened. I don’t think you would believe me if I told you.”</p><p>“Really?” Malcolm challenged from his seat. “Try me.”</p><p>Vivian gave Sunshine one final pet between the cage's bars before shoving her hands into her coat pockets.</p><p>“I was going back to my Dad’s since I’m staying there while my apartment gets sorted out, as you know,” Vivian started, walking to sit next to Malcolm at the kitchen island. “And uh. Jessica was there.”</p><p>“Really?” Malcolm asked, a mixture of confusion and concern lacing his voice as he pulled out a stool for Vivian to sit on. She cleared her throat and happily took it.</p><p>“Really. But, uh..” Vivian trailed off, pulling her hands out of her pockets to wring them together, “I don’t know how else to put this but uh.. They were... having sex.”</p><p>Malcolm blinked as he directed his gaze to the floor.</p><p>“Sex?”</p><p>“Yes, Malcolm." Vivian let her hands land in her lap before speaking again. "Intercourse. Bumping uglies—”</p><p>“That’s a <em>disgusting</em> term—”</p><p>“Shut up! You get what I mean though!” Vivian exclaimed, playfully shoving Malcolm who seemed to be shocked still. “But yeah. Saw... <em> that </em> and left before they knew I was there. I thought to come here just because—”</p><p>Vivian hesitated to give Malcolm the truth, he noticed before she shook her head. “Just because.”</p><p>Malcolm was quick to get up and start pacing himself as he started to think. “My mother and your father—”</p><p>“Yes, Malcolm. Did you not notice the tension?”</p><p>“Tension?!”</p><p>“Yes! Tension! I swear it’s like you’re only on work mode—”</p><p>“Our parents were having <em> sex </em> in your childhood home! Shouldn’t you be more panicked?!”</p><p>“I mean, I was on the ride over,” Vivian admitted, “now I’m just nervous about going home. Hopefully Dad cleans the kitchen counters.”</p><p>That joke made the both of them shudder. Vivian took a moment to readjust her trenchcoat as she shifted in her seat.</p><p>“Yeah, that was bad. Sorry.”</p><p>Malcolm didn’t say anything as he continued pacing, trying to wrap his head around what Vivian meant by <em> tension</em>.</p><p>He didn’t get it.</p><p>Vivian was in the middle of pulling her phone out when Malcolm stopped to point at her. “You said you were going there after a thing you had?"</p><p>“Yeah—”</p><p>“What time did you get home?”</p><p>“Uh,” Vivian hesitated as she checked the time on her phone. “Ten-thirty.”</p><p>“And what time did you leave?”</p><p>“Malcolm, you’re asking me questions I don’t know the answers to again.”</p><p>“I’m asking because mother said something about going out tonight—”</p><p>“So you think that they <em> planned </em> this?”</p><p>Malcolm hummed out an affirmative, starting to pace again just as Vivian’s phone screen lit up with a text from Gil.</p><p>She was quick to look at it, and came to the conclusion that she did a good job of keeping quiet when she had gotten home earlier in the night. All the text said was something about their most recent case and asking how her date that night was going, since she wasn’t home yet.</p><p>She dodged a bullet. A small one, sure, but a bullet nonetheless.</p><p>“So he doesn’t know I came in,” Vivian said slowly as she typed out a reply so she didn't make him worry.</p><p>"He doesn't?" Malcolm questioned suddenly, stopping just in front of Vivian this time. "Was he the one who just texted you?"</p><p>"Yes? Who else would text me right now—"</p><p>"Your <em>date</em>—"</p><p>"Oh my <em>god</em>, can we stick to the more important matter at hand rather than my damn date!?" She looked up from her phone screen to glare Malcolm down.</p><p>He held his hands up in surrender as he moved to sit next to Vivian at the counter, watching her lock her phone and place it in her pocket once she pressed send. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, you're right."</p><p>Vivian sighed softly, letting a hand rub over her face gently. "Thank you. Now, you think they planned this?"</p><p>Malcolm nodded in response before he was up again, rounding the corner of the island to head to his fridge. </p><p>"I do. Mother said something about visiting a friend tonight for dinner when I visited her earlier today." Malcolm had opened the fridge door in the middle of his explanation before grabbing himself a bottle of water. "Would you like a drink, Vivian?"</p><p>"No I'm good, thanks," Vivian replied, taking a deep breath, "I guess it makes sense. I always thought that Dad would be a lot... <em>smoother</em>."</p><p>"Smoother?" Malcolm questioned, unscrewing the lid to his bottle of water before taking a sip while he watched Vivian's back as he talked.</p><p>"Gil Arroyo...<em> taking</em> women on his kitchen counters?" Vivian countered with a brow raised, looking over her shoulder at Malcolm. "Last I remember, he's more romantic about it."</p><p>"Last you remember? Did Jackie tell you—"</p><p>"No. No!" Vivian exclaimed, waving her hands around as she spin to face Malcolm completely, "<em>no</em>. Mom always said Dad was a romantic was all. I remember helping him with a date idea one night too when I was a kid."</p><p>Malcolm could hear the tone in Vivian's voice change. It sounded a bit sadder than it was before the topic was brought up, and he felt a bit guilty for bringing up Jackie in that moment.</p><p>He can't imagine how she must be feeling, thinking that her father has moved on. Malcolm can't even think of how to continue the conversation without mentioning Jackie or asking more questions about her.</p><p>"Are you sure you don't want a drink?"</p><p>Vivian let out a snort of a laugh, pulling her phone from her pocket, "if you've got some decent whiskey I wouldn't mind a quick drink."</p><p>Malcolm couldn't help the smile on his face from her response before grabbing two tumblr glasses and a bottle of whiskey he remembers Vivian mentioning she liked from his small collection. It was a few minutes later they both looked at each other from each side of his kitchen island and tapped their glasses together gently.</p><p>"I thought you were just going to have water?" Vivian asked, placing her phone screen down on the marble countertops, sipping at the whiskey in her glass. Malcolm shrugged after his sip.</p><p>"Can't let a pretty lady drink alone, can I?"</p><p>Vivian rolled her eyes as she placed her drink down with a small smile. "Shut up, pretty boy."</p><p>The silence between the two of them was relaxing, almost like it used to be.</p><p>Until Malcolm decided to speak again.</p><p>"Do you think they'll end up telling us themselves?"</p><p>"I doubt it," Vivian admitted, starting to swirl some of the alcohol around in the glass. "Dad thinks he's being subtle about it, I bet."</p><p>"Well he <em>is</em>," Malcolm mumbled. Vivian stopped to look at him from her spot on the stool. </p><p>"You're just blind, Malcolm. I saw this coming. JT saw this coming, hell, even <em>Dani</em> saw this coming! We just talked about it—" Vivian caught herself before she finished her sentence, clearing her throat as Malcolm watched a blush rise to her cheeks. "We just talked about it the other night."</p><p>Malcolm let a small smirk fall onto his face. "It was with Dani, wasn't it?"</p><p>"What was?" Vivian questioned back innocently, taking another sip of her whiskey as her phone went off again. She elected to ignore it.</p><p>"The date. You had a date with Dani?"</p><p>Vivian practically drained the glass before grabbing her phone and not even glancing at it as she pocketed it. "I didn't go out with Dani tonight."</p><p>Malcolm had a knowing look on his face with a smile as Vivian started to get up and make sure she had her keys before saying a quick goodbye to Sunshine.</p><p>"Be safe driving home, please? Wouldn't want Gil or Dani worrying—"</p><p>"Malcolm you're like the brother I've <em>never </em>had, you know that?" Vivian hissed as she twirled her keys on her finger, opening his door as she glared at him. "I didn't go out with Dani. Now <em>goodnight</em>."</p><p>"You did too! Tell Gil I say hello when you get home." </p><p>The smirk Malcolm had on his face was priceless as Vivian groaned loudly, shutting the door behind her as she started to descend the stairs to leave him in peace.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, essentially, I wrote this before S1EP19, thinking that this would stop whatever craving I had for writing Gil/Jessica content. But now I'm in the process of writing a fic like this WITHOUT my OC, because I just.. because I can. It'll take a bit since I'm more focused on some requests I've got, but keep an eye out for a fic that doesn't have Vivian's name plastered all over it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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